A reasonable case could be made that the end of the 2016 New York Mets season was the beginning of the end of this current group's run. With the anticipated opt- out of star left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets were set to find a way to replace not only his offensive production, but the fear he imposed on the Mets opponents and their pitchers. In addition, there were concerns over the Mets biggest strength, their starting rotation, as four of their stud starting pitchers have all had an operation since their last game in the major leagues. Baseball fans and the media, in some cases, have a very short memory. While the probability of Cespedes opting out was a fore gone conclusion, it was just as clear that the Mets would not outbid another team that was willing to give Yoenis a five year deal north of $150 million. The Mets off season started out by preparing for life without Cespedes. The Mets picked up their 2017 team options on outfielder Jay Bruce and infielder Jose Reyes. They also remained interested in bringing back second baseman Neil Walker, who was coming off a solid offensive season which saw him hit .283 with 23 home runs despite missing the last month and a half of the season due to a back problem. The idea was even floated that the Mets would be interested in bringing in free agent outfielder Jose Bautista (was a Mets player for a couple of hours in 2004) as a possible alternative if Cespedes signed elsewhere. It turned out Cespedes did re-sign with the Mets. But please do not act like this was completely expected to happen. The Mets had not given out a $100 million contract to a player since David Wright signed his 8 year, $138 million contract extension after the 2012 season and had signed just three players in their entire team history to deals over $100 million total. In addition, New York gave the $17.2 million qualifying offer to second baseman Walker, who accepted it. The Mets then also brought back relievers Jerry Blevins and Fernando Salas, the former a dominant member of the Mets relief core in 2016 and the latter a surprising run during the month of September of last season, a 2.08 earned run average in just over 17 innings pitched. Added to the returns of Cespedes, Walker, Bruce, and Reyes, the Mets have taken on the San Francisco Giants model of "keeping the band together." Outside of Cespedes being injured, the only thing that could derail this team is a significant injury to their starting rotation, mainly right hander Noah Syndergaard. In fact, a case could be made that the Mets may not be able to recover from a Syndergaard injury in the same way they would one with Cespedes. Syndergaard is coming off a 14-9 season, one in which he finished with a 2.60 ERA, a 1.149 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched), a 2.29 fielding independent pitching, a 158 ERA+ and 218 strikeouts in just under 184 innings pitched. Jacob deGrom was limited to 24 starts last season but seems to be back to full strength. Matt Harvey went just 4-10 last season with a 4.86 ERA before having surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. Two pitchers who were godsends to the Mets rotation last season are back, Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo. I intentionally left out a starting pitcher and I did that for a reason. Left hander Steven Matz cannot be counted on to be a consistent part of this team's rotation. As far back as can be possibly remembered, Matz has not made it a month without complaining about some ailment in his left arm. It is not a bold prediction to predict that Matz will never make 28, let alone 30, starts in a big league season. Zack Wheeler seems ready to return to the big leagues after missing the past two recovering from Tommy John surgery. Wheeler has to be in consideration for a rotation spot, especially after the latest Matz injury, but the Mets are planning on curtailing his innings to as low as 100 for this season. It is quite possible that the Mets use him as a long reliever to start this season, possibly being a two inning middle reliever. There was a left handed pitcher for the Cleveland Indians who took to that role pretty well last season, Andrew Miller.The fact that there is less than a week away from the start of the season and Major League Baseball has not ruled on a suspension for Mets closer Jeurys Familia really has only one logical solution. Maybe baseball is not going to suspend the Mets righty for his domestic violence incident earlier this off season. If they do now, they look very silly since MLB had the entire off season to do something about it. I understand that Familia did pitch for the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Classic, but that has been over for quite a couple of days now. If (when) a suspension is announced, I would like to hear the reason the announcement was not made immediately after the WBC was concluded. (Update- Familia has been given a suspension of 15 games to start the season, announced on March 29.)With Familia starting the season on the restricted list, Addison Reed will be the closer. Trying not to look at spring training stats, Reed has not pitched well. But he is coming off a great season in 2016 where he pitched to a 1.97 ERA in 80 games while striking out 91 batters in just less than 78 innings pitched. Salas, Blevins and right hander Hansel Robles will follow Reed with left handed pitcher Josh Smoker earning the role as additional lefty specialist. The last two spots (until Familia returns) can go to Wheeler and right hander Rafael Montero. However, they could also go right hander Paul Sewald, or even to Lugo is Matz is somehow able to start the season in the Mets rotation. (Update- Matz will in fact start the season on the disabled list with Wheeler getting a spot in the rotation, The final spot bullpen spot is likely to come down to Lugo and Montero.)The Mets will have a little bit of a logjam in the outfield with Cespedes, Bruce, Curtis Granderson, and Michael Conforto all being on the opening day roster. The injury to Juan Lagares makes Conforto a little bit more of a fit, though it would be tough to see the latter getting enough playing time that warrants him remaining in the big leagues. But, Conforto can change that as there is always room in the lineup for a player that hits. Lucas Duda comes back from a back injury and is expected to play first base against right hand pitchers, with Wilmer Flores playing against left handers. Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera are back to help form the Mets middle infield, with Reyes playing third base as long as Wright remains out. The biggest question remains at catcher where the Mets are putting all their faith in Travid d'Arnaud. This will be a make or break season for the one time Mets prospect, where the Mets chose not to upgrade the position both at the July 31st trade deadline and this past off season. It is likely that backup catcher Rene Rivera will be Syndergaard's primary catcher, which starts opening day. The Mets lineup should look like this: Reyes 3B, Cabrera SS, Cespedes LF, Granderson CF, Walker 2B, Bruce RF, Duda 1B, d'Arnaud C. The Mets bench will consist of Conforto, Flores, TJ Rivera, Ty Kelly, and Rivera. The Mets possess a couple of top prospects that expect to be regulars for the team as soon as next season. Shortstop Amed Rosario hit .324 last season in High- A and Double- A and should hit for a little bit more power as he adds some more muscle mass. First baseman Dominic Smith hit .302 and drove in 91 runs as a 21 year- old playing in Double- A. Left handed pitcher Thomas Szapucki has Billy Wagner- like stuff and should shoot up the minor league chain in no time. Right hander Justin Dunn should be on his way up in a similar fashion as well. Left hander PJ Conlon does not get a lot of attention because he does not throw hard. He does, however, have very good control and command of his stuff and should down the road be in the discussion when talking about the Mets young future starters. Gsellman and Rivera qualify as rookies and will both be part of the Mets opening day roster. I think the National League East division will come down to the wire this season, something that has not happened since the years of 2007 and 2008. The Phillies had the division wrapped up early in 2009-2011 and the same can be said about the Nationals in 2012, 2014, and 2016, the Braves in 2013, and the Mets in 2015 though some races stood out a little bit longer than others. Vegas has the Mets over/ under number at 89.5 and I am taking the over, slightly, putting the Mets at 92-70, first place in the National League East division, two games ahead of the Washington Nationals. This race will go down to the last series of the season.

As spring training is about to start in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the New York Mets have to deal with expectations that are as high as they have been in years. Not just because they are coming off their fifth National League Pennant, but the fact that they are expected to do very well this season. In the franchise's 53 year history, the Mets have made the postseason in consecutive seasons just once (1999-2000) and have never won back to back National League East titles. Many of the "experts" have the Mets doing very well. Of course, that leads to expectations that not every team can back up. A good reminder for the Mets would be the 2015 Washington Nationals, who were supposed to run away with the National League East last season. The failure to match the expectations led to a lot of changes in Washington, including the dismissal of manager Matt Williams. Similar to the Nationals of last season, the Mets are blessed with the most talent in the division. The return of their top starting pitchers from 2015 gives the team the best starting staff in the National League. The signing of free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes puts them in a position to duplicate their late season offensive outburst. Prior to the trade for Cespedes on July 31 of last season, the team was the worst offensive team in all of the National League. With Cespedes and the call up of top prospect Michael Conforto, the Mets suddenly transformed into a scoring machine. The key to the Mets of 2016 is obviously their starting rotation. Matt Harvey won 13 games, lost 8, pitching to a 2.71 earned run average and struck out 188 batters in just over 189 innings pitched. A case could be made that Harvey had the strongest season to date of any pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery. Jacob deGrom (14-8, 2.54, 205 Ks, 191 IP) proved that his breakout rookie of the year season of 2014 was no fluke. 2015 rookies Noah Syndergaard (9-7, 3.24, 166 Ks, 150 IP) and Steven Matz (4-0, 2.27, 34 Ks, just under 36 IP) added almost another 35 innings of postseason experience to their belt. 2015 Tommy John surgery casualty Zack Wheeler (11-11, 3.54, 187 Ks, just over 185 IP in 2014) is expected to join the rotation in July. Until then, the ageless Bartolo Colon (14-13, 4.13, 136 Ks, just under 195 IP) will hold down the number five spot in the rotation. Other options include Logan Verritt (1-2, 3.59, 18 games, 4 starts) and Sean Gilmartin (3-2, 2.67, 50 games, 1 start). One place that the Mets could have upgraded a little bit better is their bullpen. Jeurys Familia (2-2, 1.85, 43 saves, 86 Ks in 78 IP) became one of the top relief pitchers in the entire National League last season. Addison Reed (3-3, 3.38, 51 Ks, 56 IP) will be with the Mets for the entire season after prospering after a late season trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets signed free agent left hand pitcher Antonio Bastardo (4-1, 2.98, 64 Ks in just over 57 IP with the Pittsburgh Pirates) and re-signed left hander Jerry Blevins after his early 2015 season dominance (7 games, 5 hitless innings, 4 strikeouts). Right hander Hansel Robles (4-3, 3.67, 61 Ks, 54 IP) will likely be part of the bullpen, but I strongly feel he needs to step his game up. At times, his fastball has looked too straight and it kind of resembles a 2007-2008 Guillermo Mota. The signing of free agent right hander Jim Henderson to a minor league contract could turn out to be a great move for the Mets. Henderson has returned from surgery that cost him most of the 2014 season and all of 2015. In 2013 for the Milwaukee Brewers, Henderson was 5-5, 2.70 with 28 saves and 75 Ks in 60 IP. While it was stated earlier that the Mets could have upgraded their bullpen a little bit better, a healthy Henderson and the potential emergence of right handed pitcher Rafael Montero could change the perception of the Mets depth. Montero made the team out of spring training, but pitched just five games before missing the remainder of the season. Montero posses a good fastball and has a slider that can be dominant in a relief role. In the past, starting pitchers like Familia and Jenrry Mejia moved to the bullpen allowing for better results. Montero has the tools to be able to do the same. It is extremely understated how solid of a season right fielder Curtis Granderson had for the Mets in 2015. The numbers (.259, 26, 70, .821) do not even describe how valuable he was to the Mets as their leadoff hitter. With the addition of Cespedes (.291 batting average, 35 home runs, 105 runs batted in, .870 on base plus slugging), the Mets have a legitimate number three or four hitter. They also added second baseman Neil Walker (.269, 16, 71, .756) in a deal with the Pirates and signed free agent shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (.265, 15, 58, .744) from the Tampa Bay Rays. Conforto (.270, 9, 26, .841 in 56 games) will be the everyday left fielder with Cespedes in center. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud (.268, 12, 41, .825) played just 67 games last season and hopes are he can stay healthy for a full season. Of course, the Mets captain David Wright is hoping to return to form after a very difficult 2015 season. While he did perform well in the 38 games he played (.289, 5, 17, .814) and delivered key home runs in his first game back from his injury in Philadelphia, the game in Cincinnati where the Mets clinched the NL East title and the Mets first home game of the 2015 World Series against the Royals, thought was Wright's career could have possibly been over. What started out as a hamstring injury turned into spinal stenosis leading doctors to question how long Wright was going to be out. Some players diagnosed with spinal stenosis have never played again. Wright did return, but it remains to be seen how much of an impact he will have on the 2016 Mets and whether he will ever become the same player he once was. First baseman Lucas Duda (.244, 27, 73, .838) is the streakiest hitter in the game. He hit eight of his home runs in a week of games. When he is struggling, it is tough to watch. Hopefully, Duda can maintain his hot streaks a little bit more than he did last year. The lineup I would start the season with would go like this: Granderson RF, Wright 3B, Walker 2B, Cespedes CF, Conforto LF, d'Arnaud C, Duda 1B, Cabrera SS. The lineup would change based on whether Conforto becomes a top player and whether Duda is on a hot streak. The Mets bench will play a very strong role in the performance of this team. A case could be made that the Mets started to gel when they acquired third baseman Juan Uribe and utility player Kelly Johnson from the Braves to deepen their bench. They possess a similar deep bench in 2016, with infielders Wilmer Flores (.263, 16, 59, .703) and Ruben Tejada (.261, 3, 28, .688) having the ability to start for a while if needed. Juan Lagares (.259, 6, 41, .647) won a Gold Glove in center field for the National League in 2014, but battled a shoulder injury and digressed both offensively and defensively in 2015. A forth outfielder role may be ideal for Lagares, who is joined by free agent signing Alejandro DeAza (.262, 7, 35, .755). However, the unexpected signing of Cespedes could make DeAza expendable, especially since his playing time will be drastically effected. If DeAza is traded, minor league invitee Roger Bernadina will have a solid chance of making the team. Kevin Plawecki (.219, 3, 21, .576) will be the team's backup catcher. On the farm, outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Travis Taijeron are both likely to make their major league debuts this season. Obviously, it would take an injury to see either gain a lot of experience this year. Shortstop Gavin Cecchini had a solid season in Double- A and could be in position to join the team in September. First baseman of the future Dominic Smith is expected to continue his rise through the system, potentially putting him in a position to be the Mets starting first baseman in 2017. The 25 man roster the Mets should break camp with as they head to Kansas City on April 3rd should be as follows: Granderson, Wright, Walker, Cespedes, Conforto, d'Arnaud, Duda, Cabrera, Flores, Tejada, DeAza, Lagares, Plawecki, Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard, Matz, Colon, Familia, Reed, Bastardo, Blevins, Robles, Henderson, Montero. Barring injuries, I cannot see any exceptions.

The New York Mets have been undergoing one of the deepest rebuilding efforts in the history of its franchise. Though the team has had more losing seasons than winning, the Mets losing has historically been a product of bad transactions as opposed to conceding the now to win in the future. The most recent Mets run has been compared to the early 1980s version of the franchise. That group, led by General Manager Frank Cashen, the Mets rebuilt their farm system and gradually came back to respectability. Cashen drafted Darryl Strawberry, then Dwight Gooden and made trades for young pitchers like Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez and Walt Terrell. Hired just before the 1980 season, it was Cashen's 5th season as the team's GM and President that the Mets finally arrived. The 1984 Mets won 90 games, the first of seven straight winning seasons which featured a World Series Championship and another appearance in the NLCS. The current rebuilding operation has been led by Sandy Alderson and has been both praised and criticized by fans and the media. While Cashen was more honest about the time it would take to turn the organization around, Alderson was not. His intentions were to turn this into a long rebuild, but he felt inclined to make it seem like he expected success within the first couple seasons. Mostly through the farm system (much of which was players who were in the system when Alderson took over) and through trades have the Mets built themselves into an up and coming team. One that is expected to win more games in 2015 than any of the past six seasons. The 2014 Mets were 79-83, finishing tied for 2nd place with the collapsing Braves in the NL East. The Mets were 15-10 in the months of April, July and September. However, they were 11-18 in May, 11-17 in June and 12-17 in August. For those scoring at home, the Mets were 45-30 in the good months and 34-52 in the bad months. The Mets biggest acquisition of the off season is the return of RHP Matt Harvey (9-5, 2.26, 29 starts, 191 Ks, just over 178 IP, league leading 2.01 FIP in 2013). Though pitchers that come back from Tommy John surgery have a track record of returning to form, history has shown it takes time. There is no doubt, barring a setback, that Harvey will be on the mound for the Mets within the first week of the 2015 season. It is worth mentioning that he is unlikely to be as dominant as he was in 2013- see Adam Wainwright (2012: 14-13, 3.94, 32 starts, 184 Ks in just under 199 IP; 2013: 19-9, 2.94, 34 starts, 219 Ks in just under 242 IP). I can see a Harvey season similar to Wainwright's 2012. The Mets moved very quickly to sign OF Michael Cuddyer to a free agent contract. Held to just 49 games, but did hit .332 for Colorado last season after winning the batting title (.331, 20, 84) in 130 games in 2013. Similar (but different) to Harvey, Cuddyer is looking to get back to his 2013 form. Like most players that are entering the latter part of their 30s, Cuddyer will need more rest, which the Mets look to do by playing him at 1B against left hand pitchers and DHing him when the team plays games in American League ballparks. John Mayberry Jr (.212, 7, 23 in 78 games for Phillies and Blue Jays) comes over known for his success against LHP. Outside of LHP Sean Gilmartin (9-7, 3.71, 26 games, 26 starts for AA and AAA in the Atlanta system), who was taken in the Rule 5 draft, the Mets have no other notable additions coming into this spring. The two major questions for the Mets this spring involve the shortstop position and the back of the starting rotation. It seemed like the rotation was set, with Harvey, Zack Wheeler (11-11, 3.54, 32 starts), Jonathon Niese (9-11, 3.40, 30 starts), NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom (9-6, 2.69, 22 starts) and veteran Bartolo Colon (15-13, 4.09, 31 starts). Dillon Gee (7-8, 4.00, 22 starts) looked like he is headed to the bullpen. With Wheeler having TJ, Gee's spot is now a guarantee to start the season. Rafael Montero had a very good spring and Noah Syndergaard is not that far away so it would benefit Gee to get off to a good start in 2015. The shortstop question looks like it is both solved and is, at the same time, a big concern. The Mets were known by the baseball community as the team that was in most need for a SS during this off season. Any potential deal either was not attempted or fell through, leaving the Mets in the position they are right now. The position they are in right now is great for 23 year old Wilmer Flores. Signed by the Mets at the age of 16 in 2007, he has spent the last almost 7 years in the Mets minor league system. While Flores was noticed to outgrow the SS position, making him more of 3B or 2B, the Mets returned him to SS for the 2014 season after spending 2012 and 2013 at 2B and 3B, mostly 2B. In 55 games in AAA, Flores hit .323 with 13 HR. In 78 games for the Mets, he hit .251, 6, 29. Flores had a strong stretch to end the season, going 19 for his last 54 with 3 HR and 11 RBI. Prior to that streak, he did go 0-17 but before that he was an additional 11-28. With the 0-17, he still managed to go 30-99 after August 29th of last season. Flores also looked serviceable as a SS, though not comfortable. If he hits, he will play. Having Ruben Tejada (.237, 5, 34) as a backup allows the Mets to assure better defense later in games. If Flores does not hit, I would expect the Mets to be active in talks to make a trade, even if it includes giving up a pitcher or two they may not want to. Counting down from 5 to 1 of the most encouraging stories of 2014 for the Mets involve the evolution of Jenrry Mejia from a starting pitcher to a closer. Mejia was good as a starter, but seemed to get tired the third time through the batting order. He finished the season 6-6, 3.65 in 63 games, 7 starts with 28 saves and 98 Ks in just under 94 IP. He is expected to be the closer once again in 2015. Number 4 would be the development of RHP Jeurys Familia (2-5, 2.21, 76 games) as the 8th inning man. Coming into the 2014 season, there was some doubts over whether he could stay healthy and get big league hitters out. While concerns over the former may never be resolved, he sure answered the second. CF Juan Lagares won his first Gold Glove Award last season. While his defense was always known, it was the steps he took offensively that caught my eye. His numbers (.281, 4, 47, 13 SB) are a testament to his hard work and his willingness to improve. For the first time in his career, there is no doubt that he is the starting CF for the New York Mets. Another concern for the Mets last season was what to do at 1B. Ike Davis and Lucas Duda seemed to be battling it out for the starting spot, with Duda getting the job as the season started. Davis (.233, 11, 51 in 143 games) was traded to the Pirates allowing Duda to relax. Duda answered the bell, hitting his 30th HR on the final game of the season against the Astros. To me, the most encouraging story of 2014 for the Mets was the development of RHP Wheeler. He finished with 187 Ks in just over 185 IP, but it was his second half that reminded us what was thought when Alderson acquired him from the Giants for Carlos Beltran. After his June 19th CG SHO against the Marlins, he went 9-4, 2.92 with 108 Ks in 107 1/3 IP. In spite of all the talent in the projected Mets starting rotation, I think Wheeler is set to have the biggest impact in 2015. 3B David Wright (.269, 8, 63) is coming off his worst season in the big leagues. He is also coming off an injury that cost him the final month of 2014. Assuming he is now healthy, 2015 will be important in telling whether he can still be a top offensive player on this team or he is in decline. 2B Daniel Murphy (.289, 9, 57), Curtis Granderson (.227, 20, 66) and C Travis d'Arnaud (.242, 13, 41) round out the projected lineup. Though I can see a lot of different combinations, this is the one I would go with: Lagares CF, Granderson LF, Wright 3B, Duda 1B, Cuddyer RF, Murphy 2B, d'Arnaud C, Flores SS. Much can change depending on who is hitting and who is not, which includes d'Arnaud and Flores. The Mets bench will be led by Mayberry, Tejada and probably Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Eric Campbell. Nieuwenhuis likely gets the spot over Matt den Dekker because Kirk is out of options. The place on the Mets bench that I would like to see the team take more of a look at is backup catcher. Anthony Recker (.201, 7, 27) has been here the past two seasons and has shown what he is. A decent catcher who can play once a week and occasionally hit a HR. If d'Arnaud gets hurt and is out for an extended period of time, Recker gets exposed very easily. If Kevin Plawecki is ready to play in the big leagues, I think he should come north with the club. He can gain experience being on the big league bench and learn from a former catcher himself in bench coach Bob Geren. Plawecki can also learn from d'Arnaud in regards to catching the ball and framing pitches. The Mets bullpen will feature Mejia, Familia, Carlos Torres (8-6, 3.06, 73 games), Josh Edgin (1-0, 1.32, 47 games) and Vic Black (2-3, 2.60, 41 games). RHP Bobby Parnell is recovering from TJ and will likely join the team after the season starts. In addition to Gilmartin, who seems right now to be the favorite to become the second lefty in the pen, the Mets have Scott Rice, Dario Alvarez and Jack Leathersich (guest on the Passed Ball Show) in to compete. Veteran RHP Buddy Carlyle (1-0, 1.45, 27 games) was a good story last year and remains in the mix to make the team if there is an injury. Gee rounds out the bullpen. RHP Noah Syndergaard remains the Mets top overall prospect and will make his debut sometime in 2015. The depth of the Mets rotation at the moment may delay his start, but when he comes up, it should be for good- similar to Harvey, Wheeler and deGrom. It remains to be seen if Syndergaard is able to answer the hype. Outside of Plawecki, 2B Dilson Herrera looks to be the most intriguing offensive prospect going into this season. With Murphy likely gone as a FA after the season is over, Herrera looks like he will be the Mets 2B of the future. OFs Michael Conforto (2014 1st round draft pick) and Brandon Nimmo have the ability to be solid MLB players but are unlikely to join the team in 2015. 19 year old Dominic Smith (PBS guest) will take some time to develop as he was one of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League last season. Don't forget about pitchers Stephen Matz, Rafael Montero and Akeel Morris (PBS guest with the sub 1.00 ERA last season). They are all jumping at the bit to get a chance to be part of the big club. The Mets pitching should allow them to compete with anybody in 2015. However, it will only go as far as their offense takes them. If they fail to score runs, which has been a problem over the past couple seasons, they will not succeed. The game of baseball has changed to where most teams have capable to good starting pitchers and it has been proven that the teams that struggle mightily offensively have the most problems winning games. Vegas puts the Mets O/U at 81 1/2, which I think is right on. If their lineup produces, they can win upwards to about 87-88 games this year. If they do not, they may win about 80-82 games. I amgoing right in the middle at 84-78, finishing 2nd in the NL East division.

It is not a new phenomenon that once a team proves it is over matched in regards to the competition of their respective league, fans make the suggestion: "play the kids". It sounds good on paper and gives said fans a fuzzy feeling that the future could be better than the present. However, it becomes a little more complicated when the only advantage the "younger" players have is their age. Yes, in regards to the New York Mets, younger players like Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Travis d'Arnaud either are contributing this season or will in the short term future. And it is also obvious how panic has already set in with fans who want to get hopes as high as possible for this so called future. The issue that I have seen is the fact that some fans refuse to look at the full potential of a young player. Case in point: the Mets outfield. Fans are up in arms over the fact that journeymen players such as Rick Ankiel and Marlon Byrd are getting at bats. They would rather see players such as Juan Lagares, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Collin Cowgill. And through an intense session of questioning, I bet I can get them to admit the sole reason they want to see the second group over the first group is the second group is 24, 25 and 27 and the first two are 33 and 35. There is some logic in this argument though. It makes perfect sense to want to see younger players on a team that is rebuilding. After all, if the team becomes competitive in two or three seasons, odds are players who will then be 36 and 38 will probably not be around anymore. But I am not sure the other three will be around as well. If that is the case, then what are they being showcased for? To me, it does not take much to see what Juan Lagares is. He can catch the ball, but clearly has weaknesses in his swing and approach. He is also at the MLB level because the Mets simply do not have better options. Kirk Nieuwenhuis will never be a steady major leaguer as it seems he will never be able to cut down on his strikeouts. Cowgill maybe should be up instead of Lagares, but is he going to be the Mets centerfielder of the future? The Mets better set of OF prospects are either injured or a year or two away from the majors. Matt den Dekker has yet to play this season due to injury. Cesar Puello and Cory Vaughn are in AA and Brandon Nimmo is in low A. If I had a choice, I'd rather see den Dekker, Puello, Vaughn and Nimmo than any of the others in the Mets OF. Maybe you are asking... What's your point? In 2003, the Mets signed Rey Sanchez to play SS. After the season became a failure, it was time to play Jose Reyes, the Mets SS of the future. The same thing in 2004, with the Mets starting the season with Ty Wigginton at 3B, then letting the kid, David Wright, play after there was little to play for. The Mets did the same thing in 2010 with Ruben Tejada, playing him at 2B and sitting Luis Castillo. The only thing Lagares, Nieuwenhuis and Cowgill have on their side is their age. None are prospects. None would be platoon OFs on more than two other MLB teams. So why should the Mets play them here? Marlon Byrd is hitting .250, 6, 25, which is respectable. And fans quickly forget why Ankiel is here. Ankiel was signed because the other options are really that bad. It is easy to forget that Ankiel is nothing more than what he has always been. He will hit a couple HRs, play defense, strike out a ton and hit for a low average. He has done this his entire career as a hitter. I am not an Ankiel apologist, but I know what he is. I also know he is no better or worse than Lagares or Nieuwenhuis. To me, playing any one of these three is the same. Any thought that Lagares and Nieuwenhuis will get better because they are "young" is silly. They are what they are. The Mets future is will not be any brighter with any of the three in CF. Based on competitive balance, it is safe to say the Mets will probably have two outfielders on their team next season that currently play for other organizations. When Reyes was up, it was understood he would get a chance to earn his keep. The Mets will be shopping for outfielders no matter who is out there now. Ideally, it would be great to see Sandy Alderson make a trade for an impact bat this season. But, until that happens, the Mets are running out six of one and a half dozen of the other.

Over the past three seasons, I have taken the short ride to Lakewood, NJ to watch the Blue Claws take on the Savannah Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League. 2011 saw the likes of Cory Vaughn, Aderlin Rodriguez, Wilfredo Tovar, Robbie Shields and Erik Goeddel, Ryan Fraser and Josh Edgin. Last year, the team featured SS Matt Reynolds and RHP Michael Fulmer, though I did not see Fulmer pitch. This year's team should get a little more attention than some of the teams in the past. 2011 #1 draft pick Brandon Nimmo is not only on this team, he has become their star player. Coming into today's game, Nimmo is hitting .444 (28-63) with 18 RS, 3 3Bs, 1 HR and 10 RBI. In addition, he is playing a solid defensive CF for the Gnats. Kevin Plawecki, the Mets 2012 second first round draft pick (for losing Jose Reyes), has also hit very well. The power hitting catcher is hitting .373 (22-59) with 9 2B, 3 HR and 15 RBI. Right hand hitting Jayce Boyd is also off to a great start, hitting .387 (24-62) with 6 2B, 1 HR and 16 RBI. Very quietly the starting pitching has become worth talking about. LHP Stephen Matz, who throws consistently in the 95 MPH range, threw 5 shutout innings on Friday and is 1-0, 1.29 (2 ER in 14 IP) with 18 Ks. Rainy Lara, who was Saturday's starting pitcher, has a strange resemblance to Bobby Parnell, though Lara does not throw quite as hard. Lara got the win on Saturday and is 2-1, 2.70 (5 ER in 16 2/3 IP) with 15 Ks over 3 starts. His motion is similar to Parnell and he also wears the number 39 on the back of his jersey. Matthew Bowman is probably the best starting pitcher on the team right now and he is off to a good start as well (2-0, 1.62) and relievers Bret Mitchell (0-1, 1.86, 13 Ks in 9 2/3 IP) and Beck Wheeler (0-0, 0.00, 9 Ks in 6 2/3 IP) worth keeping an eye on. In addition to Nimmo and Plawecki, I remember seeing Boyd, Beck Wheeler, SS Phillip Evans and LF Stefan Sabol playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones last season. If Nimmo and Plawecki continue to flourish, it will be a matter of time before we get to see them in high Class A St Lucie. When it comes to the Blue Claws, the one player that has stood out to me has been SS Roman Quinn. Not yet 20, he has been rated as the Phillies organization's fastest base runner and best athlete. He performed very well in Williamsport of the NY Penn League hitting .281, 1, 26 with 11 3Bs and 30 SB. Looking forward to the final game of my yearly trip to Lakewood as the Blue Claws finish off the three game series with the Sand Gnats.